Headrests for chiropractic tables



Aug. 4, 1959 J. c. THOMPSON ,ET AL HEADRESTS FOR CHIROPRACTIC TABLES Filed Sept. 19,, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 l2 l4 n 39' f 1 2s ll 0 0 g 24 a 23 o 22 so 4 l a 2 Hal L I? KMWZ l/VVE/VTLWS.

%Mm m4 1959 J. c. THOMPSON ET AL 2,898,169

' HEADRESTS FOR CHIROPRACTIC TABLES Filed Sept. 19, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 I //Vl E/VTORS,

1959 J. c. THOMPSON ET AL 2,898,169

HEADRESTS FOR CHIROPRACTIC mus I Filed Sept. 19, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet :5

FIG. syw d/ ZZZ/7 K Z 112m 714' hum/7mg v 4 MM United States Patent I-HEADRESTS FOR CHIROPRACTIC TABLES Joseph Clay Thompson, Davenport, Iowa, and Kenneth William Nipp, Moline, Ill.

Application September 19, 1958, Serial No. 762,080

8 Claims. (Cl. 311-10) This invention relates to tables for use of chiropractors. The objects of our invention are to provide an improvement in chiropractic tables for a separable section of such tables having a horizontal frame with means for uniting to said frame a separable head section carrying a bed or top plate which may be carried at a level with the top plate or bed of the body section of the table;

To provide such a head section with means by which it may be raised or lowered vertically above or below the level of the bed or top of the body section and with means by which the topplate or bed of the head section may be tilted longitudinally in either direction;

To provide easily manually operable separate means by which the level of the top plate of said head section may be moved vertically or tilted longitudinally in either direction.

We accomplish these objects by the means shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a side elevation of the lower side of Figure 2, but omits the knob 15;

Figure 2 shows a bottom view of our apparatus;

Figure 3 shows a side elevation of our apparatus from the right side of Figure 2;

Figure 4 shows an end elevation from the right of Figure 1;

Figure 5 shows a sectional elevation on the line 5-5 of Figure 4;

Figure 6' shows an enlarged detail of the cam and housing for vertical movement on the line 6-6 of Figure 5;

Figure 7 shows an enlarged detail of the cam and housing for oblique movement on the line 77 of Figure 5.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

Our invention includes a head-end section of a chiropractic table firmly united to one end of the main horizontal frame 1 of the body section of a chiropractic table only a part of which is shown, and by a pair of legs 2 and 2' with their lower ends united to a base plate 8.

One end member 4 of the frame 1 is firmly united or formed integral with a plate 5 which is firmly mounted upon the rear leg bar 2 by bolts or machine screws 3. The other leg bar 2 is rigidly united by machine screws 6 or similar means which pass through bores in spacers 7 to the rear leg bar 2' and a base plate 8 is mounted at the lower ends of the leg bars 2 and 2'.

Columns 9 and 9 have their lower ends secured to the base plate 8 by socket-head machine screws 8-8 and extend upwardly and carry sleeves 10 and 10 upon their upper ends to the top of which a top or bed plate 11 is secured by castings 12 mounted upon bosses 13. A cross shaft 14 is rotatably mounted in the castings 12 and projects outwardly with knurled wheels or knobs 1515' keyed thereto. 7

In the sleeves 10 and 10 and tubular columns 9 and 9 coiled springs 16 extend from plugs in the top of the I sleeves 10 and 10' to the lower ends of the tubular columns 2,898,169 Patented Aug. 4, 1959 ice 9 and 9' and the lower ends of the springs 16 rest upon keys or pins 17 secured in the lower ends of the tubular columns.

The springs will act to raise the top plate 11 when not restrained and will also cushion the downward movement of the top plate 11 when manually moved downwardly.

In order to lock the top plate at a given level, housing bars 18-48 are centrally mounted upon the upper bar 18A and have bores 19 formed therein in which a cam shaft 23 is mounted which carries a cam 21. The outer end of the cam shaft 23 passes through a bore in one of the housing plates 18 and is keyed to a bar 22. The other end of the bar 22 is pivoted at 24 to a link 25 the upper end of which is carried by a short link 26, the other end of the link 26 being keyed to the shaft 14.

When the knobs 15-15 are manually turned inv either direction the link 25 will be moved up or down accordingly and the cam bar 22 will cause the cam 21 to revolve against the bar 2 so as to lock the housing and bar 18a against vertical movement or to release it so as to permit vertical movement of the sleeves 16--16 and the top plate 11.

In order to permit tilting, movement of the top plate 11, we apply a pair of oblique bars or rods 28 and 29 to the outer end of the top plate 11. The lower end of the 'bar 28 is pivotally mounted upon a hub or boss 30 and contacts the bar 29 which is slidable thereon. Both of the bars may pass through a housing 31 which carries a cam shaft 32 mounted therein with a cam 33 keyed thereon. A housing 31 is rigidly secured to the bar 29 by socket-head screws 34 or other suitable means.

An arm 35 has one end pivotally united to a link 36. The upper end of the link 36 is pivotally united to the inner end of a manually operable lever 37 by a pivot shaft carried by a pair of bosses 39-39' united to the under side of the top plate 11. The outer end of the lever 37 has a widened grip 40 formed thereon for manual actuation to release the cam 33. A coiled spring 41 is connected to the bar 29 and the arm 35 to secure the cam 33 in engagement when not released by the grip 40.

The top plate 11 has a smooth fiat upper surface upon which a headrest of various wellknown forms may be placed and secured by gravity or by screws, hooks, or any other convenient means.

In the use of our table, the head plate 11 will usually be kept in horizontal position level with the top plate of the body section of the table but may be raised above or lowered below the body section whenever, in the judgment of the operator, such change of level is advisable for any particular case.

Likewise our top plate may be at a longitudinal angle with either the inner or outer end thereof raised or depressed relative to the other end. Thus the patient may recline laterally, or face down 'or upon his back as desired by the operator for each particular ailment or subluxation to be adjusted.

In the operation of our table the plate 11 in horizontal position is first raised or lowered to meet the requirements of each particular patient. When the knobs 15-45 are turned in one direction, they will release the cam 21 from contact with the leg bar 2 and the springs 16 will act toward the top plate 11 and when the knobs are rotated in the opposite direction, the cam will be rotated so as to exert pressure upon the leg bar 2' so as to lock the top plate 11 against movement in either direction.

The cams 33 and 21 will normally be held in locked position by the springs 41 and 42 respectively, but can be released by the grip 40 or by the knobs 15--15' on the shaft 14 to allow manual movement of the bars 29 and 18A in either direction.

Any suitable metal such as steel, aluminum, brass or othersuitable material may be used for the various parts of our apparatus and when desired, a suitable plastic, fiber board or other fabric may be substituted for the top plate 11 or for any of the housing, bars, frameworkor cams.

In the claims we use the term top plate to indicate the plate of metal such as iron, steel,'aluminum, brass or any suitable alloy or of plywood, plastic or'anyequivalent thereof and the bars, shafts, columns, sleeves, links, knobs and springs to be of any similar metals or fabric equivalent adapted for the uses indicated.

Various changes may be made in the material, size, shape and arrangement of the various parts without departing from the spirit of our invention as expressed in the claims, and we do not limit our claims to the precise forms shown in the drawings.

Our invention is firmly supported by and extends from one end of the main frame of a chiropractic table only apart 1 of which is shown but which may be supported in horizontal position by legs or other means in any of the well known ways.

It should be noted that our head section as described is not intended as a separate headrest but is a part of the entire chiropractic table. It is not one of the separable headrests now in common use which are designed to allow a downward movement of the headrest and neck of a patient when a chiropractic thrust is applied to the neck of the patient to adjust a subluxation of the vertebrae.

The top plate of our head section does not move downwardly when the adjusting force is applied to the neck of a patient. It does not cushion the neck in any way. It is not resilient.

It is not intended for use alone but only when a separate headrest has been placed thereon. When so placed, the headrest may be held upon our top plate either by gravity or by bolts, screws, or other fastenings. It does afford means by which the elevation of the separate headrest relative to the main top plate of the table may be varied as desired Within reasonable limits.

We claim:

1. In a separable head-end section for a chiropratic table having a horizontal frame, the combination with a flat top plate, of means to unite it to an end member of the horizontal frame, a pair of spaced vertical leg bars with a cam housing slidably mounted thereon, a slidable vertical bar with its lower end united to the housing and with its upper end united to the top plate, a transverse bar pivotally mounted on the housing, a cam shaft and cam rotatably mounted in the housing and keyed upon the inner end of the transverse bar, a link bar with its lower end pivotally secured to the outer end of the transverse bar and its upper end linked to the manually operable lever, a transverse shaft rotationally mounted in a casting integral with and extending downward from the top plate, a manually operable lever keyed upon the transverse shaft, manually operable knobs keyed upon the outer ends of the transverse shaft whereby the shaft may be turned in either direction and the cam be thereby caused to engage one of the leg bars and to lock the housing thereto, or to release it from engagement therewith so as to free the slidable bar and permit the top plate to be raised or lowered therewith.

2. A combination as described in claim 1, and a coiled spring connected to the upper flat bar and the inner lower bar whereby pressure may be exerted thereon to return the top plate to a predetermined normal level when the cam is released.

3. A combination as described in claim 2 and an upper manually operable brake lever pivotally mounted upon bosses united to the top plate at the outer end thereof, a link bar pivoted at its upper end upon the inner end of said upper lever and with its lower end pivotally united to the outer end of a lower transverse lever the inner end of which is pivoted in a housing made up of two side plates rigidly secured to an upper oblique bar carried by the pivot shaft of the upper lever and the lower end of said bar united to said housing, said housing fitting and being freely slidable upon a lower oblique bar the lower end of which is secured upon a short arm mounted upon the lower vertical bar mentioned in claim 1, a cam revolvably mounted upon a cam shaft carried by said housing and operable, when the oblique link bar is moved by the brake lever, to engage the lower oblique bar and lock the housing against movement or to release said bar and permit the housing to move freely thereon.

4. A combination as described in claim 3, and resilient means connecting the upper and lower oblique bars adapted to exert pressure or tension thereon to set or release the cam.

5. In a section of a chiropractic table, a flat top plate, a base plate as a footing, a pair of tubular columns mounted on the base .plate, a pair of vertical sleeves slidably mounted upon the columns, a lower vertical fiat bar secured to the base plate and extending upwardly therefrom, an upper flat bar movable vertically along and in contact with the lower bar, a channeled housing with side plates mounted upon the upper bar, the upper end of the upper bar united to the under side of the top plate, a transverse cam shaft rotatably mounted in the housing bearing a cam adapted to bear against the inner lower bar When rotated to a certain position to act as a brake for the housing and the upper fiat bar to hold them at a desired height, and manually operable means carried by the head plate to rotate the cam shaft and cam whereby it will act as a brake upon the lower bar.

6. In a section of a chiropractic table, a cam brake and other parts as described in claim 5, and a coiled spring connected to the upper flat bar and the lower bar whereby pressure may be exerted to return the top plate to a predetermined normal level when the cam brake is released.

7. A braking and locking apparatus comprising an upper oblique flat bar pivotally suspended at its upper end with a pair of spaced fiat plates united to its lower end and forming therewith a cam housing, a corresponding lower oblique bar with its lower end pivotally connected to a base plate and its upper end extending into the housing parallel to and adjoining the upper bar, a transverse cam shaft revolvably mounted in the housing bearing a cam whereby a braking or locking pressure may be applied upon the lower bar to control the sliding movement of the upper bar thereon or to release such pressure when the cam is released, a lever having one end keyed upon the cam shaft and its other end pivoted to the lower end of a link, a manually operable lever pivotally mounted upon the upper bar with one end pivoted to the upper end of the link whereby the link and cam lever may be actuated so as to set or loosen the cam to or from the lower bar.

8. A braking and locking apparatus comprising an upper oblique flat bar pivotally suspended at its upper end with a pair of spaced flat plates united to its lower end and forming therewith a cam housing, a corresponding lower oblique bar with its lower end pivotally connected to a base plate and its upper end extending into the housing parallel to and adjoining the upper bar, a transverse cam shaft revolvably mounted in the housing bearing, a camwhereby a braking or locking pressure may be applied upon the lower bar to control the sliding movement of the upper bar thereon or to release such pressure when the cam is released, a lever having one end keyed upon the cam shaft and its other end pivoted to the lower end of a link, a manually operable lever pivotally mounted upon the upper bar with one end pivoted to the upper end of the link whereby the link and cam lever may be actuated so as to set or loosen the cam to or from the lower bar, and annular rollers revolvably mounted on the cam shaft at each side of the cam adapted to roll upon the lower oblique bar as the housing is raised or lowered.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Naysmith July 6, 1915 

